The UK government’s aim to reduce bureaucracy in science funding — by cutting out ‘unnecessary paperwork, arduous funding applications and research selection processes’ (see go.nature.com/3fbxirc) — has received an unexpected boost from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and Medical Research Council (MRC) typically take about six to eight months to reach a decision on a grant application, and would normally ask applicants to make separate submissions to each funder. In response to the pandemic, however, the NIHR and MRC have been running calls that incorporate a single, streamlined application process with independent peer review and a turnaround time of three to four weeks. This has enabled us to co-fund two vaccines that are now being tested in human volunteers and to disburse funds rapidly for drug repurposing (such as the RECOVERY trial; www.recoverytrial.net).
Our COVID-19 funding activity has felt like a white-water ride as we focus on realizing patient benefit on an aggressive timescale of 12 months. Although the pace of decision-making need not always be so fast, we now know that we can speed it up without any detriment to the quality of those decisions. Our appetite for adventure has been whetted.
